2013-03-12

Gevey sim/Gevey PRO FAQs

This excellent gevey sim FAQ is for the current sim gevey users who are facing problems like No Sim error, Data Roaming, Caller ID, Data Connection Drops, etc.. This FAQ will also be helpful for users who want to buy GEVEY Sim in the future.

Q: I get “No SIM” after I put my SIM card in the phone with Gevey.
A: Assuming both your SIM and Gevey are working, the underside of your MicroSIM may be touching the chip on the SIM interposer and shorting it. Cut away some more to give enough clearance between the SIM and the chip.

Q: I had to enable “Data Roaming” in order to use mobile data, would this incur a lot of roaming charges?
A: No. Data roaming needs to be enabled because the way this exploit works, your network will always bill your call/SMS/Data correctly as before.

Q: My caller ID is not working and my SMS threads are fragmented, why?
A: The “unlock” causes the phone to use 001 as the default MNC, which has no matching country code and your phone fails to map caller ID to your country. There are many ways to get around it, e.g. manually adding the country code to every number in contacts, adding custom carrier bundles for 001/01 or a network reset/full reset. A more consistent method is to open /System/Library/Frameworks/UIKit.framework/PhoneFormats/UIMobileCountryCodes.plist and add the highlighted part:

Replace %Your Country Code% with ISO3611 alpha-2 country code for your locale: nz for New Zealand, jp for Japan etc.

Q: My data connection dropped out and I cannot get data on 2G or 3G, I have checked my APN settings and they are correct.
A: Use your SIM in any unlocked phone with GPRS functionality once to re-establish data session; expect to do this on a regular basis.

Q: I have full signal bars and I can call any number I want normally; but when other people call me it says number is not listed or goes directly to voice mail.
A: I have explained earlier that you need to obtain a TMSI from the network to connect. Theoretically the TMSI will stay with your number as long as your phone remain connected, and when you move between cells it is passed to the next base station so you don’t have to call 112 again.

Nevertheless the carriers usually configure their network to refresh TMSI periodically for security and administrative purposes. It has also known that some cells, particularly the ones serving train stations and major road intersections, require a TMSI refresh following a hand-off(Because users tend to move in and out of coverage very rapidly, it gets to hard to locate a user if the same TMSI is reused).

Your phone will not recognise the refresh because it is for your original IMSI and your phone is still on the test IMSI starting with 80900101. You can call because your old TMSI did not really expire and is hence accepted, however the network is unable to locate you because it uses the new TMSI which has never been updated on your phone.

Out of all the issues with the Gevey this one stands out as the most deleterious, and there is nothing you can do to stop it from happening. In fact you cannot even tell because the signal bars will appear normal and you can dial out perfectly fine. The only way out is to restart the phone and start over to match the TMSI.

Q: Help, my SIM is stuck and I can’t take it out!
A: Do not force your SIM tray if this happens, you are going to cause more damage. Push it all the way back in and tap the phone a few times, gently but firmly, against the palm of your other hand or any soft object e.g. a large pillow. If this had failed to free the SIM tray you will have to take your phone for repairs. (If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can do it yourself by following this excellent guide created by iFixit; however do this at your own risk and be prepared to lose your warranty because one of the screws cannot be accessed without breaking the warranty seal)

Don’t get me wrong and think I am scaring you; this can happen to anybody but it is more likely with the extra thickness provided by the interposer.

Update 1:

Q: My battery level seems to go down very quickly now…
A: Now there are two possibilities, one is that you are simply not used to the i4 acting more than an iPod. cellular transmission can use a lot of battery power, especially on 3G and whenever the reception is poor. However if your data usage listed under Settings/General/Usage seems to be too much AND you have hacktivated your i4 (activated using limera1n/redsn0w etc) then chances are your problems is real.

If you never used and does not need push notifications, you can simply delete /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.apsd.plist and restart your phone. Any battery drain caused by hacktivation will cease however push service itself will also be gone. Alternatively use many of other solutions available (PushFix, PushDoctor, SAM) that all fix the problem to a varying degree.


Q: Which carrier bundle should I use?

A:Your default carrier settings is stored under CarrierLab.bundle, which is actually not that bad since it allows free editing of the APN settings. If you need to get VM or VVM working, Wortel’s patch has to be installed first before you can edit the bundle.

Carrier Logos should go to your actual carrier’s folder, not CarrierLabs since your phone will be “roaming” on your actual network.

2013-01-22

How to Replace your PSP TFT LCD Screen

Scratches? Dust under screen? Cracked Screen? Most people at this point get frustrated at their PSP and break their PSP’s or they throw
them away. Unfortunately people do not understand that the PSP is one of the most customizable handheld systems out there. You can
not only change things like faceplates, but you can also replace broken LCD screens.
An average PSP TFT-LCD screen costs around 50-70 dollars, and that is way less then going out of your way to buy a 3.10 firmware PSP
for $200.
Below is a guide i found on how to replace the LCD screen, and a great site to pick up the PSP TFT-LCD screens for the replacement. To
replace a PSP screen it takes a screw driver and around 10 minutes.

How to Replace an PSP TFT-LCD:

Ok, now we can get started on the guide. Here is what you are gonig to need to complete the job:
• Replacement Sony PSP Screen with backlight. You can get parts that are just screens that you need to install the backlight in
and use your current backlight or buy a complete LCD with backlight. Spend the extra couple of dollars and buy one with
backlight, you will not regret it. Where should you buy your LCD Screen? You have a couple of choices here as many people
sell LCD Screens on the market now. I suggest buying from zeromartz.com.
• Precision Screwdriver Set. If you do not have a small precision screwdriver set for eyeglasses or other small electronic, spend
the $5 at Home Depot. Otherwise, you run a great risk of stripping out the screws on your Sony PSP while you try repair your
broken PSP LCD screen.
Now we can get started on the repair.
1. Layout the parts and screwdrivers and let everything come up to room temperature. For those of us who live in warm weather
climates, this is not a big deal. However, if your garage is much colder or the parts are not at similar temperatures you could
have issues in some circumstances.
2. There are six screws that you need to take out in order to open up your PSP case. Two of them are hidden underneath the
battery. Before you can get to them, you must remove the black strip of tape near the bottom of the compartment. This is the
warranty tape, removing it will expose the last two screws.
3. Carefully separate the plastic casing for your PSP by removing the top cover on your PSP and set it aside. This should separate
very easily. If you have troubles removing it, there is still a screw left on your PSP.
4. Using a small, flat precision screwdriver (exacto knife may also work), pry the metal edges of the silver screen assembly from
the LCD screen. The LCD should pop out, but the cables should still be attached by the clips.
5. Fold the screen down to expose the connections to the clips. Carefully release the clips from the front by gently lifting them with
a flat-head screwdriver. Be extremely careful not to break the clips by applying too much pressure. A broken clip is the only thing
that will require you to send your PSP into Sony for repair.
6. On the Sony Playstation Portable clips are lifted, the cables will slide out and your broken (shattered) LCD will be ready for
disposal.
7. Lay the new LCD screen face down in front of your PSP so that you can access the cable clips and gently slide the cables all the
way into the clips. (In some cases, the cables may not go in without a little help from a screwdrive or by slightly bending the
cables. Be very careful if you need to use this method as you do not want to damage the leads of the cable.) Now, close the
clips by snapping them down.
8. Fold the new Sony PSP LCD Screen up and snap it back into the metal assembly. Do not put on the LCD screen itself as it is
very sensitive and you could crack it. Snap it in by pressing along the edges of the unit. It should go together very easily.
9. Place the cover back over your case and put all the screws back in.
10. Turn on your PSP and enjoy your new screen!
If you need a great place to buy the LCD screens from check out http://www.zeromartz.com . We ship out their LCD’s quickly, and offer
great support via email .
NOTE: This may seem to be an old article, but a lot of people still email me daily regarding TFT questions, so i thought that it’s
time for a updated article.
Did this guide help you out? Do you have any questions or need clarification? Go ahead and leave a comment.

2012-11-01

[New PSP Tear-down] LCD Panel is 1.5mm Thinner and 23g Lighter [Part 3]

The engineers disassembled a new Play Station Portable "PSP-2000" and an old model "PSP-1000" . And they turned their eyes from the printed-circuit boards to the LCD panels of the PSP-2000 and PSP-1000.
We realized that, in the PSP-2000, there is no metal part in the front of the LCD. This part was probably omitted to reduce the weight. The psp 2000 LCD screen is 2.5 mm thick and weighs 26 g. The LCD panel of the PSP-1000 is 4.0 mm thick and weights 49 g. So, the LCD panel of the PSP-2000 is 1.5 mm thinner and 23 g lighter than that of the PSP-1000.
The thickness of 2.5 mm "is not significantly thinner than the LCD panels used in recent mobile-phones," one of the engineers said.

The LCD panels mounted in the PSP-1000 (left) and PSP-2000 (right). The cover in the front of the LCD panel is omitted in the PSP-2000. Also, the PSP-2000's flexible substrate is smaller.

The LCD panel of the PSP-2000 (right) is 2.5 mm thick, 1.5 mm thinner than that of the PSP-1000 (left).
We found a difference between the two models when we removed a metal cover in the front of the PSP-1000's LCD. In the PSP-1000, four driver ICs are embedded on the glass terminal port of the LCD panel. On the other hand, in the PSP-2000, no driver IC is mounted on the glass. It seems that LCD driver circuits, such as a gate driver and source driver, are formed on the glass substrate.

The LCD panels of the PSP-1000 (left) and PSP-2000 (right) with their front covers removed. Driver ICs are formed on the glass of the PSP-2000's LCD panel. The flexible substrate in the PSP-2000 is small. On the glass substrate of the PSP-1000's LCD panel, driver ICs are embedded.
Furthermore, we dismantled the backlight parts of the LCDs. The thicknesses of the glasses for the PSP-1000 and PSP-2000 are 1.4 mm and 0.6 mm, respectively. Seemingly, the LCD panel was thinned mainly by reducing the thickness of the glass.